Georgia’s State Security Service (SSS) has announced the detention of Bacho Akhalaia, a former senior security official in the government of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili. The detention is linked to the October 4 rally, during which the opposition planned a “peaceful overthrow of power.” The SSS claims that the organizers of the rally repeatedly contacted Akhalaia online before announcing a plan to “seize” the presidential palace.

At a briefing, First Deputy Head of the SSS Lasha Magradze called Akhalaia the “main organizer” of the October 4 action. He also said that Akhalaia has refused to testify. According to Magradze, Akhalaia’s wife, Ani Nadareishvili, was also detained but has since been released at this stage.

Bacho Akhalaia held several key posts in Saakashvili’s government. In particular, he served as head of the Department of Corrections (2005–2009), Minister of Defense (2009–2012), and Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia (July–September 2012). He was detained in November 2012, a month after the parliamentary elections and the coming to power of the Georgian Dream party. Akhalaia was found guilty in the case concerning the death of retired Colonel Sergo Tetradze, spent nearly 10 years in prison, and was released on March 1, 2022.

After the attempted seizure of the presidential palace during the “peaceful revolution” on October 4, 2025, the  TV channel Imedi published an audio recording in which, according to the channel, opera singer and opposition figure Paata Burchuladze and former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia were speaking. In the recording, Akhalaia and Burchuladze discussed a radical scenario for developments at the October 4 rally. Akhalaia said the recording was fake and that the voice on it does not belong to him.